For the first time since 1982, average annual chocolate consumption in Switzerland has fallen below the 10 kg per person mark.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ac
On average, a Swiss resident munched 9.9 kg of chocolate in 2020, 6.9% less than the year before, according to the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers (Chocosuisse). This decline was at the expense of Swiss-made chocolate, as the import volume of foreign-made chocolate increased by 1.8%. and its share rose from 41% to 43%.
The industry body blames protectionist measures at home for the rising sales of imported chocolates in Switzerland.
“This trend is being driven by an asymmetry in the border protection of raw materials and processed products: as a result of the border protection, certain raw materials are twice as expensive in Switzerland as abroad,” said a statement by Chocosuisse on Monday.
The Covid-19 pandemic also took a toll on the industry. Production fell by more than 10% to 180,000 tonnes. As a result, exports dropped by 11.5% to 126,000 tonnes. In total, chocolate sales fell by 14.5% to CHF1.53 billion ($1.68 billion).
“There was one factory closure in 2020 as well as a 4.8% decrease in the number of people employed in the industry,” said Chocosuisse.
More
More
The pioneers of Switzerland’s ‘Chocolate Revolution’
This content was published on
How did a country without a single homegrown cocoa bean become one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers?
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
This content was published on
Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won the 5,000 metres to bring home Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
This content was published on
The studyExternal link, which was published in Nature Scientific Reports on Tuesday, repeatedly exposed 50 students, half of whom were Swiss, to the odour of chocolate and asked them to comment on its intensity. The Swiss participants, especially those who were made conscious of their Swiss identity though a questionnaire, showed the greatest sensitivity to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.